Contents

Background

Raiga and Ranmaru.

Ranmaru grew up with a weak body, but the farmers living near him gave him food to survive. One day, he used his kekkei genkai, and accidentally revealed witnessing an injury that he otherwise could not have seen. The villagers realised that he was strange and stopped feeding him. Ranmaru became lonely after a while. Not long afterward, Raiga arrived in the course of a mission, and was planning on killing Ranmaru, but Ranmaru revealed his ability and his perception of the sorrow within Raiga. Raiga then carried him on his back, allowing Ranmaru to see the outside world. After Raiga's defection, he and Raiga enslaved a town and forced its villagers to work in its mines, also assembling some followers (including Karashi) to form the Kurosuki family.

Personality

Ranmaru was a quiet and gentle boy with a fierce loyalty towards Raiga whom he later betrayed. Though ultimately, this was also for what Ranmaru believed, to be Raiga's benefit.

Appearance

Ranmaru is a young boy with short, purple hair which is parted in the middle. He also has red-coloured eyes that would glow whenever he used his dōjutsu. He wore a light-purple shirt with black stripes on each side, a sash around his waist, a pair of dark-coloured pants and sandals. He also has a slightly feminine appearance.

Abilities

Ranmaru's unknown dōjutsu.

Ranmaru's kekkei genkai gives him the ability to see through walls, cast illusions, and interfere with even the Byakugan. Unlike most dōjutsu, he can see the physical life force inside a human's body to check their status being alive or dead. Also being able to see a person's life form he can predict a series of attacks that an opponent uses against him. He can also use some other vaguely defined powers relating to vision. This bloodline does not have a mentioned name, but when used, Ranmaru's eyes glow red. Ranmaru's powers range from perfect illusions to the ability to transfer life force to bring someone, mostly dead, back to life.

Part I

Curry of Life Arc

Ranmaru was first introduced spotting Rokusuke's party escaping from Katabami Kinzan for Raiga. Raiga and Ranmaru then fought Naruto Uzumaki and Team Guy (minus Guy himself) when they arrived to defeat the Kurosuki family. Raiga initially gained the advantage due to Ranmaru's abilities and his powerful lightning technique, but after Ranmaru was knocked away from him, Raiga became distraught over losing him, and Naruto knocked him off a cliff. Ranmaru then revealed his role and past to the Konoha shinobi and asked to die. Naruto's group left him in a small shed on the mountain and took him back to the Curry of Life Shop after defeating the remaining Kurosuki family members.

Karashi took Ranmaru on his back, and then brought him to Raiga, who wasn't dead yet. Ranmaru revived him with his chakra, but then passed out, seemingly dead, from doing so, which caused Raiga to demand that Karashi bring him the Konoha ninja. Tenten discovered that Ranmaru was alive, and brought him to a shed in the middle of a thunderstorm, trying to bring down his fever. While Ranmaru was willing to die, Tenten told him that he didn't deserve to decide that, as the people he helped Raiga kill could not make that decision. Ranmaru recovered his health, and became able to walk after eating the Curry of Life, and wished for Raiga to eat it.

Ranmaru accompanied Tenten, Sanshō and Karashi to the mountain where Neji, Lee, and Naruto were fighting Raiga, and fed the wounded ninja the curry. Ranmaru returned to Raiga and using his mist, tried to trick him into walking over a cliff in order to atone for his actions. The plan failed when Lee attacked and interrupted Raiga, and when Ranmaru attempted to convince Raiga to stop the battle, Raiga believed that Ranmaru had betrayed him. Naruto rose to protect Ranmaru, and punched Raiga off the cliff through successive attacks with shadow clones. Raiga realised how Ranmaru could never be a truly free soul as long as he depended on him, and gave himself a funeral in one of his more coherent moments. In the end, Ranmaru becomes an apprentice at the Curry of Life shop.

Trivia

The ran (蘭) in Ranmaru's name means orchid. Maru (丸) is a common name ending for Japanese boys' names meaning 'perfection' or 'full circle'.

Ranmaru's name derives from the famous historical character Mori Ranmaru (森蘭丸, 1565–21st June 1582), who was the Wakashū of daimyō Oda Nobunaga (織田信長, 23rd June 1534–21st June 1582), one of the most important and famous people in the history of Japan. Ranmaru is well-known for his devotion, loyalty, and bravery, culminating in his seppuku upon Nobunaga's death.